Series Review: Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas
SERIES RATING:
5/5 Stars
GENRE:
Young Adult / Fantasy
LIKE THIS SERIES? CHECK OUT:
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
An alternate cover edition can be found here.
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.
Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.
Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.
For book lovers who want an exciting and thrilling venture that coasts along the magical worlds, and will leave your imagination running wild... this series is just for you.
I planned on doing a review for each of the books, but I literally could not put down these books once I got started to do so! So this is going to be a series review!
My love for this series is unbelievable. After reading the first book, THRONE OF GLASS, I read the rest of the series (Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, and Queen of Shadows) within the next few months - which has been pretty quick for me this summer since I was kind of in a reading slump.
I'm having a hard time choosing where to even begin with this review because there are so many different things I want to discuss!
I'll start out telling you a little about the plot!
Celaena Sardothien is one strong fighter... and not just in the physical sense, but mentally as well. Celaena has been through so much in her 18 years in Erilea, so needless to say that she is wise beyond her years.
After a tragic incident happens involving Celaena's parents, she is found and raised by one of the most powerful assassins, just at the young age of 8. After years of training, she became one of the best assassins and was widely known as 'Adarlan's Assassin'. Only, she kept her identity hidden very well.. Until she got captured and spent a whole year in Endovier (which happens to be a salt mine, or better known for a death camp).
Shortly after the book starts, so does Celaena's journey towards her freedom. She is offered with a deal that could eventually lead her to live a free life without having to run for the rest of her life. Everything comes with a price though... And that price would be having to win a competition.
The competition consists of 23 of the kings consul members and their would-be champions. The competitors range from thieves, to assassins - all fighting for the spot to be the Kings champion, which will eventually lead to their freedom after serving the king for a handful of years. Over the course of several months, they will take part in various competitions. Even though Celaena could easily defeat many, many men, she's in for a rude awakening.
The king himself had banned magic through all of the land... But something mysterious is happening within his own walls. Not only does Celaena have to fight for the spot of the Kings Champion, but she also takes it upon herself to figure out what's happening, and to keep those who are close to her, safe, from the evil that lurks within the castle.
As for the characters, you will grow so fond of them!!
Characters from the first book:
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| Celaena |
Celaena, obviously, is my favorite character from this book (Throne of Glass). She started off really cold, but who could blame her after everything she went through. As the book progresses, you'll see tremendous growth with her. I absolutely loved how strong she was. She fought for what she believed in and let no one tell her different.
Prince Dorian and Captain Westfall in particular. These two men are completely different, but their involvement in the book made it that much better. I actually couldn't tell which one of the two I liked better. They both were amazing!
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| Nehemia |
Princess Nehemia is also one of my favorites. Like Celaena, she doesn't take crap from anyone. She is so strong and carries a lot of pride for her land. You'll be really "iffy" of her at first... But just you wait!
Characters you'll meet in the rest of the series:
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| Rowan |
ROWAN!!!!!! (Introduced in Heir of Fire) Dear sweet baby Jesus..... He is possibly one of my FAVORITE characters of all time!!! When you're first introduced to him, he seems like a downright prick.... but don't let his outer rough exterior fool you. One of my favorite things about him is his character growth. As he grew, my love grew for him as well. He is the epitome of a warrior. He's dedicated to being loyal, fierce, and the way he's described, he's a complete babe magnet as well!!!
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| Manon |
Manon is one hardcore Blackbeak witch!! (introduced in Heir of Fire). I was slightly bored with her storyline in the third installment because I was too enthralled with the story of Celaena to want to switch over to someone else's perspective. But once I started Queen of Shadows, her story became quite interesting. I looked forward to reading about her because she's such a ruthless badass!
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| Elide |
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| Lysandra |
Two others I can't wait to read more about is Elide Lochan and Lysandra. The two were really fascinating to read about! Elide is another perspective we get to read about, and the way that she is connected to a certain someone just blew my mind. Lysandra will definitely grow on you. She's witty, and definitely can hold her own against everyone! The more we read, the more we get to know the real Lysandra, and I found myself to be quite fond of her.
Another thing I want to touch base on about this series (there's a million things I could discuss with you guys, really..), is the way Sarah J. Maas tends to connect absolutely EVERYTHING! I'm completely blown away by her style of writing. Normally when I'm reading a book, a lot of authors will mention something and then forget about it as if nothing happened. But Sarah J. Maas does no such thing. I felt that every small detail was working up to be something bigger; everything was written with a plan.
What do I hope will happen in the next book?
Ever since Manon was introduced in Heir of Fire, I'd hoped for a Manon and 'Celaena' alliance. Both have different strengths, and I think the pair could make an unstoppable team together!
I would do absolutely anything to get my hands on the next book!
Without saying anymore, I'm sure you all can see the love I have for this series. I could probably write a whole book based on how freaking amazing this series is. Hell, I've already written what could be a chapter or two. This might just be the longest book/series review I have ever written!
So if you haven't read this series, I suggest you go out and do so now. You won't regret it, I promise!
If you've already read it, I hope you loved it as much as I did. Sarah J. Maas has easily become one of my favorite authors!
Wanna know more about her other series, A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES? Check out the reviews below!
Carmen's Review (coming soon)
Images were found via Google Search, Throne of Glass Wiki, and Deviant Art.
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